Take down attack ad, Ruderman tells “MamaPAC”

U.S. House candidate Laura Ruderman has called on an “independent” SuperPAC to take down an attack ad against fellow Democrat Suzan DelBene that began airing Tuesday on Seattle television.

The group, Progress for Washington, is financed by Ruderman’s mother, Margaret Rothschild, who called on the services of campaign adman Jeff Gumbinner, who has worked in Ruderman’s past campaign’s for secretary of state and the state Legislature.

Ruderman

It has been nicknamed “MamaPAC.” Ruderman and DelBene are among five Democrats running in the open, newly formed 1st Congressional district.

The TV spot shows DelBene’s face morphing into that of Mitt Romney, while blasting DelBene’s business record. DelBene is a former Microsoft vice president and state revenue director.

“I am calling on Progress for Washington to immediately take down the television ad that began airing today: I would encourage voters to visit my website and see the positive messages about my positions on issues that our campaign is talking about,” Ruderman said in a statement.

The “MamaPAC” TV ad started running a day after Ruderman’s own positive television ads began airing. And the positive Ruderman message, keyed to health care and her family’s struggles against cancer, feature Rothschild plus a declaration of daughter’s love for mother. Rothschild has struggled with cancer for two years.

Progress for Washington has also tried to make a Romney-DelBene link in mailings to 1st District voters.

Ruderman was challenged by 45th District Democrats, at a meeting on Monday night. She agreed that the DelBene-Romney ads were excessive, and promised to ask that similar TV ads be pulled.

DelBene has given $1 million to her campaign and is advertising heavily on television.

In an e-mail Sunday, Rothschild said she created the SuperPAC and started the ad campaign “out of love for my daughter.”